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The Situation Room

Interview With Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL); Senator Patrick Leahy In Hospital; Biden Promises More Supply Of Vaccines; Senators Sworn In For Trump Impeachment Trial; Biden Announces Plan To Buy 200 Million More Vaccine Doses; Feds Say, More Than 400 Subjects And 200,000 Tips In Nationwide Investigation Of Capitol Riot; President Biden Signs Executive Actions On Racial Equity. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired January 26, 2021 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:12]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. We are following breaking news.

A groundbreaking new promise from President Joe Biden. The administration now says the U.S. will have enough COVID vaccine to cover 300 million Americans by the end of the summer. That's more than enough for every American adult.

The president just announced plans to buy an additional 200 million doses of vaccine, 100 million each from Pfizer and Moderna. And CNN has just learned that vaccine distribution should begin to accelerate within a matter of a few days.

On a call with the nation's governors, the president's COVID response coordinator, Jeffrey Zients, revealed states will receive 16 percent more vaccine starting next week.

Also breaking right now, senators have just been sworn in as jurors for the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. It is the first time in U.S. history that an American president has faced a second trial in the U.S. Senate.

Let's begin our coverage this hour with our chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, on the major announcement from President Biden.

Kaitlan, this is a huge purchase of two highly effective COVID vaccines.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is, Wolf.

And while President Biden said these are not doses they have on hand yet, he says they have secured commitments from these two companies that are making the two vaccines that are authorized in the U.S. and that, if they follow through on those commitments that, by the end of the summer or early next fall, they will have enough doses for every adult in the United States to get vaccinated.

President Biden noted the challenges ahead. He said he was disappointed, Wolf, with what was left over from the last administration. But he said that message that we have heard from him before, saying that help is on the way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): President Joe Biden announcing today the U.S. will buy 200 million more doses of coronavirus vaccines in an attempt to boost nationwide vaccinations.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The end goal is to be COVID-19. And the way we do that is to get more people vaccinated.

COLLINS: The U.S. plans to buy 100 million more doses from Pfizer and another 100 million from Moderna, a 50 percent increase for each that the White House says will provide the U.S. with enough to vaccinate almost all Americans by the end of this summer.

BIDEN: This is a wartime undertaking. It's not hyperbole. When I say that, people ask for, wartime? I say, yes. More than 400,000 Americans have already died.

COLLINS: The White House also told governors today it will increase how many vaccines are sent to states by roughly 16 percent starting next week.

BIDEN: Until now we have had to guess how much vaccine to expect for the next week. And that's what the governors had to do. How much am I getting next week? This is unacceptable.

COLLINS: The Biden administration hasn't said how many vaccines are currently in the nation's stockpile, amid confusion over when everyone who wants one will be able to get one.

BIDEN: I think it'll be this spring. I think we will be able to do that this spring. And -- but it's going to be a logistical challenge that exceeds anything we have ever tried.

COLLINS: Biden's aide said today that the timeline could shift and vaccine requirements may still be in place this spring.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Everybody won't be eligible this spring, as you all know, even with -- even as CDC, the CDC continues to provide updated guidance. But he would certainly defer to medical health and medical experts.

COLLINS: Press Secretary Jen Psaki also said the president hopes that daily vaccinations can reach 1.5 million using this key word:

PSAKI: The president didn't actually say, the new goal is. The president said, I hope we can do even more than that. And that is certainly, of course, his hope.

COLLINS: The White House has been reluctant to weigh in on former President Trump's looming impeachment trial, but President Biden told CNN last night he believed it -- quote -- "has to happen."

While acknowledging the effect it could have on his agenda, Biden said there would be a worse effect if it didn't happen. Biden also predicted that 17 Republicans won't vote to convict the former president, though his press secretary said today they will leave the vote-counting to Capitol Hill.

PSAKI: And I can promise you that we will leave the vote counting to leaders in the Senate from now on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Now, Wolf, of course, we have seen Biden say they have got those commitments secured about new doses, but his chief of staff is saying there are still challenges ahead. That's going to be building out that infrastructure to actually get those doses injected into the arms of Americans, also addressing vaccine hesitancy that we have seen in some Americans over the last few months.

But, as all of this is going on, Wolf, we should note that Biden is getting his Cabinet in place. Today, we saw the first female vice president swear in the first female U.S. Treasury secretary -- of course, that's Janet Yellen -- on the front steps of the White House earlier. And the Senate earlier confirmed Biden's secretary of state nominee, Tony Blinken.

[18:05:07]

So he will be getting to work at the State Department in the coming days.

BLITZER: Yes, four Biden Cabinet appointments confirmed pretty impressively so far, but there's still plenty to go.

Kaitlan, stand by. We're going to get back to you.

But I also want to bring in our chief political analyst, Gloria Borger, and the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, Dr. Ashish Jha.

Gloria, let's begin with this such dramatic announcement from President Biden that the U.S. is not going to buy 200 million more doses of the two coronavirus vaccines and that every American adult could get vaccinated by the end of the summer.

What does this announcement say about the Biden administration's commitment to addressing this life-and-death crisis?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's clear that they understand that this is their first huge test, and that they want to meet this crisis.

The president has said that he's going to move heaven and earth to do it. I think their problem is that there's only so much they can do in the short term. They're trying to increase the amount they're buying and the amount they're getting. But it's not going to do much to increase -- to help people with their frustrations right now with the availability of the vaccine that they need.

They're listening to the governors. They're hearing the governors' frustration the availability of product. And they're trying to -- they're treading water right now. And they're trying to figure out what they can do in the short term and what they can do in the long term.

And so the president is saying, I hear you, I get it. We're trying to do as much as we can right now.

BLITZER: You know, Dr. Jha, the president's coronavirus coordinator, Jeffrey Zients, just told the nation's governors that vaccine allocations for the states out there, all 50 states, would increase by around 16 percent starting next week.

And he said that they will have a three-week vaccine forecast, so they know what to expect. How much of a difference do you think that will make that?

DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes, Wolf, first of all, thanks for having me on.

I think both of those things will make a big difference. But I think the three-week forecast will make the biggest difference. When I have been talking to state officials, they get basically no forecast whatsoever. They will get told, and then, a few days later, the doses arrive. It's not enough time for planning. So

I, think a three-week forecast will make it much, much easier for states to make sure that they have places staffed and ready to go and give people vaccines. I really do think that's going to end up making a big difference.

BLITZER: Yes, they have to know if they're going to have three weeks in advance how to distribute. They have to mobilize the military, FEMA, get places ready to go, because they want to get those shots in people's arms as quickly as possible.

Kaitlan, the press secretary, Jen Psaki, today said that, even when President Biden is in a meeting on other issues, including important issues, he pushes his team ahead on the coronavirus. He wants updates.

So what does that say to you?

COLLINS: Well, we're seeing a big difference than what we saw with the last administration, from what you heard from officials who talked about the president's reluctance to really attend those coronavirus briefings by the end of his time in office.

That seems to be the difference here, that he has continued to focus on that on a daily basis, Wolf.

One other thing that struck me is, as President Biden was leaving his remarks earlier today, he did not take any questions there at the end on this -- these updates that he's talking about with these doses, but he said he is going to leave the answers and the questions to come from the health experts tomorrow, because that's when you're going to start to see those coronavirus-specific briefings return, we're told, by the White House.

And that's going to be with these health officials who are working behind the scenes, working with the governors on what these allocations are going to look like. So, that's also a key difference.

President Trump often was the one answering those questions. By the end of his time, attending those coronavirus briefings, he stopped bringing the health officials alongside him, unless it was someone like a Dr. Scott Atlas.

So, it will be interesting to see how that plays out now that there is a new president in town, how these briefings look, and, of course, how long they go on, how they function. And that's something that we should expect to start as soon as tomorrow.

BLITZER: You know, Dr. Jha, you heard President Biden suggest that maybe there will be enough vaccines for 300 million Americans by summer by, this coming summer.

How much could that change the trajectory of the pandemic?

JHA: Yes, it would be huge, right?

I think, if we can keep going with a couple million doses a day, ideally, we could get to that. But let's say we can have 300 million people vaccinated by the summer. Life changes dramatically. And we get out of this situation we're living in, where the pandemic dominates our lives.

Look, the pandemic is going to be -- it's not going to be completely gone. We will still have to deal with occasional outbreaks. But if most Americans can get vaccinated by the end of the summer, Wolf, fall time, life will feel much more back to a new normal, and that is something we can all look forward to.

BLITZER: And there's other significant information, Dr. Jha, this new research just coming out from the CDC that shows that schools are not contributing to a significant increase in community spread of the coronavirus.

[18:10:00]

If schools are basically pretty safe, as long as precautions are taken, is there any reason students should be -- shouldn't be in class learning right now?

JHA: You know, Wolf, this is one of the most frustrating issues I think we have had in this whole pandemic.

We have set up these false dichotomies of -- you had the former president saying, just open up the schools, don't worry about controls, and then other people saying, no, schools are not safe.

What this CDC report says is, if we do some basic stuff, get people to wear masks, have some basic ventilation, schools absolutely can be safe. And that means that we got to get kids back in. And that's going to be good for kids, for parents, for everybody.

BLITZER: Gloria, let's step back and look at the big picture right now, the new Biden administration trying to push forward with its agenda. It's a very ambitious agenda, from addressing the pandemic, to fighting for racial equity.

The Senate, meanwhile, is pushing forward, prosecuting Biden's predecessor, the former President Donald Trump. Is it extraordinary to watch all these things happening at once during this -- these first few days of the new administration?

BORGER: It really is. It's like we're living in this split-screen world, in which, on the one hand, you're going to have a Senate debating largely whether it's constitutional or not to convict a former president of inciting this riot on January 6 at the Capitol.

On the other hand, you have a new president, a former senator, who understands what's going on in the Senate and why this debate needs to be occurring, but, on the other hand, is trying to get his presidency started with an important $1.9 trillion stimulus package, trying to get more people vaccinated, and letting the American public know every single day.

As you seen this occur, they have gone out there every single day and told the American public, we are trying to get this done as quickly as we can and get more money to the people who need it.

So, it's an incredibly split-screen world we're living in right now, Wolf. And it's going to be that way for the next few weeks, at least.

BLITZER: All right, Gloria, stand by. Everybody, stand by.

There's some breaking news coming in from Capitol Hill right now.

I want to go to CNN's Ryan Nobles, who's getting some disturbing information.

What are you learning?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf.

And it's about the health of a key member of the United States Senate, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who, of course, he has the important responsibility of presiding over President Trump's second impeachment trial.

This is the statement that came from his spokesperson, David Carle, less than an hour ago.

It said -- quote -- "This evening, Senator Leahy was in his Capitol office and not feeling well. He was examined in the Capitol by the attending physician. Out of an abundance of caution, the attending physician recommended that he be taken to a local hospital for observation, where he is now and where he is being evaluated." So, we don't know the extent of this illness from Senator Leahy, only that it was serious enough that the attending physician suggests that he'd be taken to the hospital, where he is right now.

And, of course, Senator Leahy, an important member of the United States Senate under any circumstances, but he is taking on a historic role as the presiding judge in this impeachment trial. And that impeachment trial really kicked into gear today, as the senators were sworn in as jurors, beginning essentially a two-week ticking clock to the start of the trial, which is scheduled to take place on February 9.

And some of the Republican senators attempted to try and halt this trial by suggesting that it was unconstitutional because the former president is no longer in office, that it means that the trial should not go forward.

Senator Rand Paul offering up a point of order on the floor. That was tabled by Democrats and a few Republicans. And even though the measure didn't make it through the House today -- or the Senate today, I should say, it was an important indicator of what we may see in the coming weeks, only five Republican senators crossing party lines to vote with Democrats to prevent this motion from going forward.

But it would require 17 Republicans to cross over and vote with Democrats in order to convict President Trump, because it requires a two-thirds majority. And Rand Paul, who was the author of that point of order, said that, in his mind, this means that impeachment is dead on arrival, and it means it won't convict.

Wolf, we should point out that there are some Republican senators, like Rob Portman of Ohio, who put out a statement saying that he did want to explore the constitutionality of the impeachment trial, but said that he is still open to hearing the arguments that will be put in front of the senators in two weeks before he makes a final decision.

But, at this point, Wolf, it seems very unlikely that the votes are there to convict the former president in the weeks ahead. The question will then become, will he ever be held accountable for his actions on January 6, Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, you need 67 senators to convict.

[18:15:00]

So, assuming all 50 Democrats vote in favor of conviction, you would still need 17. Right now, only five voted with the Democrats on the constitutionality of the whole thing dealing with a former president in a Senate trial, and not even -- as you pointed out, no guarantee even those five would go ahead and vote to convict, all of them.

All right, stand by.

Gloria, this is very disturbing about Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. The senator is the Senate pro tem. He's the top senator. He's -- what, after the vice president, the speaker, he's next in line to be the president. We wish him, of course, a speedy recovery. We hope it's not -- nothing serious. You and I know him. We know him well.

He's 80 years old. We're hoping for the best, but this is disturbing.

BORGER: Well, it is disturbing. And we do all wish him well.

I mean, first of all, there are a couple of weeks now before this impeachment, this conviction would take place, this trial. And so we hope that this is just temporary for Senator Leahy, and that he could come back and preside over this trial in the United States Senate.

Leahy is somebody who's devoted to the place. He served with Joe Biden in the Senate. He's a great photographer. I'm sure he's taking pictures of all that is going on outside the chamber. So, I think that, hopefully, this has nothing and he can come back and preside, Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's hope. Let's hope, indeed, indeed.

All right, everybody, stand by. We're going to continue our breaking news coverage.

Senator Dick Durbin, the top, the number two Democrat in the Senate, there you see him. He's standing by. We will get his reaction to all of these late-breaking developments when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:22]

BLITZER: The breaking news we're following, just hours after being sworn in to preside over former President Trump's second impeachment trial, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont has been taken to the hospital after feeling unwell.

Let's discuss this and more with the Senate majority whip, the number two Democrat in the Senate, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.

Senator, thank you so much for joining us.

What can you tell us about Senator Leahy's condition? A lot of us are worried?

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL): Pat Leahy's wife, Marcelle, is a nurse and she's with him.

And this was just an abundance of caution. He wasn't -- he was feeling uncomfortable, as you mentioned. So, they wanted to give him a trip to the hospital, so they can watch him for a little while. She says things are going well. So, we've all got our fingers crossed he will be back tomorrow.

BLITZER: Let's hope, because, as you know, he's got a major, major assignment, presiding over this impeachment trial in the Senate. It's supposed to begin in about two weeks or so. Let's discuss that. Your Republican colleague Senator Rand Paul says the vote today, 55-45 vote, the vote count shows what -- in his words, impeachment is dead on arrival. You need 67 votes to convict the former president of the impeachment charge.

Is Senator Rand Paul right?

DURBIN: Well, I don't know what the final vote will be.

And, as Senator McConnell has said to his Republican members, it's a vote of conscience. It isn't a party-line vote. And, yes, it's true that five Republicans joined us today on a procedural vote, which may or may not signal where they will be at the end of the trial.

But, Wolf, put this in historical perspective for a minute. It was three weeks ago when an insurrectionist mob took over the United States Capitol and ran the Congress out. Five people died in the process. And the fact that we would take the time to ask the hard questions about what role the former president played in this, I think, is entirely appropriate.

We can't ignore the fact that this has not happened in the history of the United States, but for a British invasion in 1813. This is a serious matter. And it should be taken seriously by the Republicans, as well as the Democrats.

BLITZER: But you even heard President Biden yesterday suggest there's -- he doesn't believe there are 17 Republicans who are going to vote to convict the president of this one article of impeachment.

Do you agree with President Biden?

DURBIN: I don't -- Joe Biden's a good vote counter, but he's not been on the Hill for a while.

I will just say to Joe, to the president, you may be right about this. But I want to tell you something. If there was ever a moment in history three weeks ago when everybody ought to sit up and take notice that a domestic terrorist group tried to overtake the government of the United States during the electoral vote count, that is as serious as it gets, and we ought to take it seriously.

BLITZER: I want to move on. But 45 Republican senators voted today that they don't even think it's constitutional to go and have a trial of a former president of the United States.

Let's talk about the House impeachment managers. They're preparing for the possibility, I understand, of having no witnesses in the trial. But they will rely on a lot of visceral evidence, including video evidence.

You think that strategy will be enough to convince 17 Republicans to join potentially all 50 Democrats?

DURBIN: I can't tell you what will convince the Republicans. But this much, I will tell you. There are 100 senators sitting on the jury of Donald Trump for the second impeachment that he faces. And I want to tell you, we're not only jurists. We were eyewitnesses to what occurred.

And when it gets down to it, I think, every passing day, we're going to find more evidence of wrongdoing and connections with organizations that, frankly, were not visiting town here just to pick up a new flag or a new bumper sticker.

These folks had an idea and a plan, and they were trying to execute it. One Capitol Policeman was beaten to death in the halls of the Capitol. I want to take this as seriously as it merits, and it merits this consideration at the trial.

BLITZER: Let's talk about the number one issue facing the country right now, the life-and-death issue of the coronavirus pandemic.

You say, Senator, that there's very limited time to try to get Republicans on board with another COVID relief plan. Are you potentially sacrificing an agreement on that issue by holding this impeachment trial in two weeks?

DURBIN: No.

I think that America understands what we're faced with, a deadly pandemic that has claimed over four 400,000 lives. And it's -- in some parts of our country, it's worse than it ever was. Joe Biden has been in office for all of about one week now.

He's seen that the vaccine distribution, which we were counting on to break the back of this pandemic, never really materialized under the previous administration. He's doing his best.

When he came into office, we had more vaccine in freezers than we had in the arms of Americans. And we have got to change that, and do it dramatically, and do it fast.

[18:25:02]

And I think the Senate should respond to this need as quickly as I have just indicated. The American people realize we have to get this vaccine out and about. We have got to restore this economy and get the kids back in school. We can waste no time.

BLITZER: Yes, the stakes clearly are enormous right now.

Senator Durbin, thanks so much for joining us.

DURBIN: Good to be with you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you.

Just ahead: In a major new promise, President Biden says the U.S. will -- repeat -- will have enough coronavirus vaccines to cover every American adult by the end of the summer. I will get reaction from a key governor.

Plus, we will also have the very latest on the Capitol riot investigation. Prosecutors now say they're working towards sedition charges against some of the insurrectionists. Sedition charges carry 20 years in jail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

BLITZER: We are following multiple breaking stories, including President Biden's announcement of a plan to boost the country's lagging vaccination effort. It includes big 200 million more doses and increasing distribution to the states starting next week.

CNN's Nick Watt is standing by for us in Los Angeles. Nick, California obviously watching all of this very closely.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, they are watching it from here, there, and everywhere. Today, we heard the governor of New Jersey saying he needs two or three times the number of doses he is getting every week. The mayor of New York says he needs hundreds of thousands more doses ever week.

So what the Biden administration is going to do is they are going to up the allocation that they send out to states, tribes and territories every week, up it from 8.6 million to 10 million. And they are also going to tell states in advance what they can expect. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Until now, we have had to guess how much vaccine to expect for the next week, and that's what the governors had to do. How much am I getting next week? This is unacceptable.

From this week forward, God willing, we will ensure that states, tribes and territories will now always have a reliable three-week forecast what the supply they are going to get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: So far, fewer than 25 million shots are actually in American arms. And, Wolf, as you mentioned, the feds are going to buy some more. They are buying 200 million more doses from Moderna and Pfizer. That means they will have 600 million total from those two companies by the summer, enough to vaccinate fully 300 million Americans.

But the president stressed by the summer, that is still a few months away. And in the meantime, he says, mask up. Wolf?

BLITZER: And, hopefully, that Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be approved fairly soon as well. You only need one dose of that one. Nick Watt reporting from Los Angeles, thank you.

Let's get some more on the breaking news. I want to bring in the governor of Connecticut, Ned Lamont. Governor, thank you so much for joining us, especially on these critically busy days.

I understand you were on that phone call earlier today when President Biden's coronavirus coordinator, Jeffrey Zients, told governors that vaccine allocations for states would increase by about 16 percent starting next week. What was your reaction to that news?

GOV. NED LAMONT (D-CT): Hallelujah. We have the demand. We could have filled that five times over. I will tell you, it was great having Jeffrey Zients on there. He's a real executive and he answered our questions before we had to ask them. The number question every governor had was, can you give us more than one week notice? He gave us three weeks' notice. And we see a great increase in the number of vaccines available. We have got the capacity to deliver them and now they are beginning to get the vaccines to us.

BLITZER: Well, I just want to press you on that, once you do get the influx of doses, how are you going to get them into the arms of your residents quickly? Are you going to mobilize the National Guard, FEMA? What's going on?

LAMONT: Look, we are near the top of the country right now in terms of people getting vaccinated. We have got over 8 percent of our people who have been vaccinated. We are not leaving any on the shelf. We are rolling out to the pharmacies right now. We have Rentschler Field and some of our big stadiums for mass vaccination centers. We have mobile vaccination vans who are able to go to underserved communities to make sure that people aren't left behind. Get us the doses, we will get people vaccinated.

BLITZER: President Biden said today that states will start getting a three-week vaccine forecast so you and all the governors will know how many doses you are getting and when. How helpful will that be?

LAMONT: That's incredible. It was a black box before. We got maybe a week's notice. And you are hiring people, not sure whether you need them. Now, with three weeks' notice and then five weeks' notice you can plan accordingly, which of the mass vaccination centers you can open up, who you need there trained to be vaccinators. We are ready.

BLITZER: Let's talk about schools. It is so critically important. New research just out today from the CDC finds that in-person education is not -- repeat, not linked to a significant increase in community spread of the coronavirus. I know many Connecticut students have returned to in-person, in-class learning. But would you agree with their findings that schools are generally safe as long as precautions are taken?

LAMONT: 100 percent. Our kids are wearing a mask in school. Over half of our kids are going to school full-time, five days a week, you know, highest in the region.

[18:35:01]

It makes a big difference.

BLITZER: What about the teachers, the faculty? Because I know a lot of those teachers, especially the older ones, they are pretty nervous about going into a classroom with 20, 25, 30 kids. What do you say to them? Some of the teachers' unions are opposing this.

LAMONT: Put the kids first. You can do it safely. We have the lowest infection rate in our schools. We are prioritizing teachers to make sure they get tested first.

BLITZER: So what about the other kids who are in virtual, you know, learning? When do they go back to school to in-class learning, which all of us know is so much better?

LAMONT: Well, that's at the discretion of their parents. I want to make sure the schools are open. If 70 percent of the kids go, the parents don't feel safe for the other 30 percent, we have got them Chromebooks. They are able to learn, but it is not nearly as good as being back in the classroom.

BLITZER: It certainly isn't. Governor Lamont, good luck to you, good luck to everyone in Connecticut. Obviously, a lot going on right now. Let's hope for the best. Thank you so much for joining us.

LAMONT: It is a good day today, Wolf. Thank you.

BLITZER: All right, good, let's hope.

Just ahead, there are major developments in the Capitol riot investigation. Prosecutors now say they are moving toward very serious sedition charges against some of the participants. Those charges could carry 20 years in jail.

And later, President Biden signs a series of executive orders targeting racial inequality, calling the death of George Floyd, and I'm quoting now, the knee on the neck of justice that won't be forgotten.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: We are following breaking news here in The Situation Room. Federal prosecutors now say more than 400 people are currently under investigation in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Authorities also say they are building toward charges of sedition and conspiracy, charges that potentially carry 20 years in jail.

CNN's Brian Todd is tracking all the late-breaking developments for us. What is the latest, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, tonight, FBI officials and prosecutors are hitting home a powerful message. They are throwing everything they have at this investigation, rounding up additional suspects. And they say there could be hundreds more arrests still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): Tonight, the manhunt for suspects in the Capitol assault is intensifying.

STEVEN D'ANTUONO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FBI WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE (voice over): We have identified more than 400 suspects in the breach of the Capitol and assaults on law enforcement officers.

TODD: And the U.S. attorney says his office is considering charges of conspiracy and sedition, possibly against militia members who may have planned part of the siege in advance. Officials say they are also bolstering their investigation into the deaths of Capitol Hill Police Officer Brian Sicknick and rioter Ashli Babbitt.

MICHAEL SHERWIN, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOR WASHINGTON, D.C. (voice over): Law enforcement, the bureau, the U.S. attorney's office have devoted specialized teams to look at both the death of Officer Sicknick and also the death of Babbitt, who was killed in the Capitol as well, so with excessive force investigations.

TODD: Experts say prosecutors have some tough choices ahead as they round up suspects.

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Do you allow people to cooperate? Do you try to use some of these insurrectionists against others? The biggest and most difficult decision the U.S. attorney is going to have is what do they do about the people who didn't physically go inside the Capitol but who incited potentially this riot?

TODD: Meanwhile, the FBI still has not publicly identified who they are looking for in their investigation of the pipe bombs that were planted at Democratic and Republican Party headquarters on January 6th. A top FBI official saying today they are looking for tips from the public and they have identified images of the person, including close-ups of the suspect's shoes.

This comes as we get an extraordinary admission of failure regarding the January 6th attack from the acting chief of the Capitol Hill police. During a closed door briefing with Congress today, Chief Yogananda Pittman apologized that her department wasn't more prepared for the threat, saying in her prepared remarks, quote, we knew that militia groups and white supremacist organizations would be attending. We also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event. We knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target.

This comes as sources tell CNN Capitol Hill police officers are debating whether to hold a no confidence vote targeting Pittman and other department leaders. One source is saying Pittman was the operational chief on January 6th but didn't take control of the radio or command officers what to do.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: A lot of people did drop the ball and there has to be some accountability for that. But just let me say, this doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of the Capitol police. I mean, there are other points of failure that need to be addressed. It's too much bureaucracy to make quick decisions. You have a sergeant at arms, a House and Senate who failed to take action as well, a breakdown in intelligence. (END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Meanwhile tonight, investigators are not limiting their arrest to those who were physically at the Capitol on January 6th. Authorities have announced the arrest of a man from California named Robert Lemke, who prosecutors say texted the brother of a congressman on January 6th with a threat, saying, quote, your brother is putting your entire family at risk with his lies and other words. We are armed and nearby your house, end quote.

[18:45:01]

Prosecutors say Lemke also sent a very similar text to the relative of a journalist. CNN has not been able to locate an attorney for Robert Lemke for comment -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Brian. Thanks very much. Also very, very disturbing.

Just ahead, we'll take a closer look at President Biden's new racial equity executive orders that he signed today and why he called George Floyd's debt -- and I'm quoting him now -- a knee on the neck of justice.

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[18:50:07]

BLITZER: President Biden signed a series of executive orders today, targeting racial inequality in our country, explaining and I'm quoting now: it's what the core values of this nation require us to do, end quote.

The actions focused on prison reform, COVID-related discrimination, and biased housing policies. President Biden also mentioned the death of George Floyd as a call to action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those eight minutes and 46 seconds that took George Floyd's life opened the eyes of millions of Americans and millions of people all over the world. It was the knee on the neck justice and it wouldn't be forgotten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. Let's discuss with Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP.

Derrick, thanks very much for joining us.

How important is it to hear words like that from the new president?

DERRICK JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP: Well, it is critically important considering the prior four years and events that took place on January 6th. He is sensitive in his statements to recognize that we are one nation, and one community. And in doing so, he's advancing a set of executive orders that really highlight the need for an equitable reality for African-Americans, Asian Americans and other communities.

We can never be the nation we are destined to be if we fall prey to this ongoing tribalism that we see emerge so aggressively over the last four years.

BLITZER: Let's talk about some of the specifics of what President Biden did today. He directed the Justice Department not to renew contracts with private prisons across the country.

How far do these executive orders that he signed today go?

JOHNSON: Well, it is very important start to this administration. He -- on inauguration, he called out white supremacy. A week later, we're beginning to see the progress of how he is working to dismantle structural barriers. That's really important.

The last president that really aggressively addressed race head on in this way was Lyndon Johnson, oftentimes under a level of duress because of protest in the street. It is really important for us to zero in on outcomes. And one of the outcomes is really, crucially, is the mass incarceration, and profiteering of, off of warehousing individuals. We should not tolerate that.

The reality that there is an aggressive review in all of government, the whole of government to determine whether or not there are barriers there that exist that impede our progress on individual's opportunities, the calling out of xenophobia, the way it has been dealt with this year and removing that, removing the ban on transgender.

We have an opportunity to look forward to 2020 and not allow our history of a dark past be the reality of the present.

BLITZER: You say this is a good start. So what do you want next?

JOHNSON: Well, this is a start. The review from -- by the policy domestic adviser is to look into all of government and agencies to determine whether or not there are barriers we have to address. The student loan crisis that will cause some economic harm to far so many people.

COVID is the most immediate thing. In order for us to get back to any semblance of progress, there needs to be very strong COVID vaccination that's deployed and what was inherited from my understanding was woefully under supported. So, now, we have the opportunity to give vaccines across the country if we apply the right logistics to the problem that we are faced with today.

So, there's so much opportunity over the next four years. It's a great start. Now we are only week out, and now, we are talking differently than we did just two weeks ago about opportunity (ph).

BLITZER: What is the NAACP doing, Derrick, to encourage people out there to go ahead and get the vaccine and not worry about it, because as you know, there are plenty of folks who are skeptical, don't want to get the shot.

JOHNSON: Well, you know, people must understand their options. And we have some options here. And that's the beautiful thing.

For far too long, for almost a year now we had a global pandemic that lacked federal response. And for the NAACP, we have been holding town halls and ongoing engagements with our members and our communities to talk about what options are on the table. We don't want to tell people what to do, but we want them to understand clearly there are some options to keep themselves safe, to keep their families safe, and keep their neighbors safe.

BLITZER: You called for President Biden to create what you describe as a cabinet level civil rights czar.

[18:55:04]

Do you still want that to happen?

JOHNSON: Well, I am encouraged with how things rolled out today. The fact that within the portfolio of his domestic policy adviser, Susan Rice, this would be a part of their portfolio. She's a very skilled and talented individual who understands how the administration works, with her power to convene agency heads.

I'm encouraged that we are going the right directions as they evaluate over the next several days how structural barriers have impeded the development of far too many communities.

BLITZER: Derrick Johnson of the NAACP, thanks so much for joining us.

JOHNSON: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And we'll have more news right after this.

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BLITZER: Finally tonight, we share more stories of people that died from the coronavirus.

Dale Kennedy of New Mexico was 70 years old. He enjoyed traveling, and was a self-proclaimed alpha fan of University of New Mexico basketball team where he was a regular at all home games. Dale is survived by his wife of 50 years, Marsha, with whom he raised five children.

Samantha Diaz of Florida was only 29 years old. She worked as a medical assistant and took on extra shifts during the pandemic to help her family and others. She leaves behind three children. Samantha's mother quit her job to care for them.

May they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing.

Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WolfBlitzer. Tweet the show @CNNSitRoom.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.